Date: Nov 01, 2007

EDUCATORS FROM SCHOOLS DEVASTATED BY HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA DISCUSS THE HEALING ROLE OF TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS DURING CATASTROPHIC EVENTS

Hofstra University Sponsored Event: Children, Literacy and Trauma: Learning From Katrina’s Teachers; Wednesday, November 14, 2007, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Times Square, New York City

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY … Educators and administrators from Louisiana’s Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes will discuss how they became first responders when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed their homes and schools. This International Scholars' Forum will be hosted by Hofstra University’s School of Education and Allied Human Services on November 14, 2007, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, Times Square.  Events on this day are free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. To register or for more information call (516) 463-5750.

At this forum special attention will also be given to the ways in which literacy is at the heart of activities for children following catastrophic events or living in emergency situations.  Reading books, writing stories, painting pictures and singing songs are indispensable to any efforts to restore the social fabric of children’s everyday lives.

The forum concludes with critical information for administrators and teachers on preparedness for emergency situations, and on the special role of teachers of literacy when castastrophic events take place.

Among the participants in this forum, titled Children, Literacy and Trauma, are:

•    Doris Voitier, superintendent of Saint Bernard Parish; recipient of the 2007 John F. Kennedy Profiles in Courage Award.
•    Carole (Cookie) Mundt, assistant principal of Chalmette High School, Saint Bernard Parish.
•    Christine Karn, English teacher, Chalmette High School, Saint Bernard Parish.
•    Aretha Williams, principal of Kate Middleton Elementary School, Jefferson Parish.
•    Denetra Hall, Ninth Ward, New Orleans, mother of Jernika and Alexander who attended Kate Middleton Elementary School for a year after Hurricane Katrina.

They will be joined by:

•    Cindy Elliott, professor, Southeastern Louisiana University
•    Dorothy Watson, professor emeritus, University of Missouri
•    Denny Taylor, professor, doctoral director, Literacy Studies Department, Hofstra University
•    Angela M. Jaggar, professor emeritus, New York University
•    Richard Robinson, CEO, chairman and president of Scholastic, Inc.

The program for November 14 will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. and it is free and open to the public. There will be a second day of events on Saturday, November 17, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for graduate students and professionals seeking credit, for which there will be a fee. For more information call the School of Education and Allied Human Services at (516) 463-5750.